Article

Commodities: Pizza stocks fluctuate

The prices for cheese and wheat increased, gasoline remained unchanged, and pizza stocks fluctuated.

October 5, 2015 by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

The prices for cheese and wheat increased, gasoline remained unchanged, and pizza stocks fluctuated. Here’s a look at the rest of the market.

Cheese

Average block cheese increased during the week on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, rising 6 cents from Monday to Friday. The prices were $1.59 Monday, $1.64 Tuesday, $1.67 Wednesday, $1.71 Thursday and $1.75 Friday. The prices for the week ending Sept. 25 were $1.64 Monday, $1.60 Tuesday and $1.59 Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Wheat

Wheat prices increased again this week, hitting $5.27 on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, up from $5.23.

Gasoline and diesel fuel

Monday's nationwide average for regular unleaded gasoline remained at $2.29 from the previous week, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices are down from $2.41 a month ago, and are significantly lower than this time last year, when consumers were paying $3.30 at the pump.

Mid-range unleaded is down 1 cent to $2.56, while Monday's premium unleaded price was $2.79, remaining unchanged from last week.

The nationwide average for diesel fuel remained at $2.49 from a week ago. Diesel prices are also down from $2.56 a month ago, and are more than $1 down from a year ago, when prices were $3.72.

Natural gas

Natural gas prices declined in most market locations, falling from already generally low levels, over the report week (Wednesday, Sept. 23, to Wednesday, Sept. 30). The Henry Hub spot price fell from $2.59 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) last Wednesday to $2.47/MMBtu yesterday.

At the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), the October contract expired on Monday at $2.563/MMBtu, and the November contract moved into the near-month position. Over the report week, the November contract fell from $2.638/MMBtu last Wednesday to $2.524/MMBtu yesterday.

Working natural gas in storage increased to 3,538 Bcf as of Friday, Sept. 25. A net injection into storage of 98 Bcf for the week resulted in storage levels 15 percent above a year ago and 5 percent above the five-year average for this week.

Pizza company stocks

Shares in Pizza Hut parent Yum! Brands Inc. closed Friday at $82, an increase from last Friday’s $79.

Domino's finished last week at $107, down $6 from last week’s $113.

Papa John's increased to $82, from last week’s $79.

Shares in Papa Murphy’s closed at $14.17, more than $2 down from last week’s last week’s $16.40. Three weeks ago it closed at $16.61.

About Travis Wagoner

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Travis Wagoner spent nearly 18 years in education as an alumni relations and communications director, coordinating numerous annual events and writing, editing and producing a quarterly, 72-plus-page magazine. Travis also was a ghostwriter for an insurance firm, writing about the Affordable Care Act. He holds a BA degree in communications/public relations from Xavier University.